Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice (2018) is a memoir by respected activist and civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson, adapted for young adults from Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. The memoir is a powerful account of Bryan Stevenson’s experiences as a young lawyer working for the Southern Prisoners Defense Committee and his nonprofit law center, the Equal Justice Initiative. During this time, he represents clients facing injustice in the legal system, including prisoners on death row and people given life sentences as children. Threaded throughout this narrative is the case of Walter McMillian, wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Just Mercy was named a notable book by Time, the New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post, and the American Library Association, and won several awards, including the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. A film adaptation starring Michael B. Jordan came out in 2019.

This study guide uses the paperback edition of Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice, published in 2018 by Ember, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.

Content Warning: This guide depicts and discusses institutionalized racism and physical violence throughout, as well as child abuse, sexual assault, and suicide in some sections.

Summary

Bryan Stevenson is a Harvard Law School student interning at the Southern Prisoners Defense Committee (SPDC) when he first encounters prisoners on death row, including Henry, who shows him gratitude and compassion, inspiring him to pursue a legal career helping death row inmates. Stevenson discusses his upbringing as a Black child in a racially segregated region of Delaware, exposes deep flaws in the legal system, and highlights the problems of mass incarceration. He emphasizes, however, the hope and resilience he finds in the face of cruelty and injustice. The book follows two narrative threads, with odd-numbered chapters focusing on Walter McMillian and even-numbered chapters recounting Stevenson's other past cases.

Walter McMillian is a Black man from Monroe County, Alabama, where he was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to the death penalty. Ronda Morrison, a young white woman, is murdered and, despite a lack of evidence and witnesses providing Walter an alibi, he is charged with the crime because of one man’s testimony. As Stevenson studies the case, he finds it is built on lies, racial prejudice, and police corruption. Ralph Myers, a white man with an extensive criminal record, accuses Walter of both murders to save himself. When Myers later tries to recant, the sheriff coerces Ralph into lying in court. Stevenson finds new evidence in Walter’s case and hopes to overturning his conviction.

Meanwhile, Stevenson works on other cases, which he discusses in alternating chapters. In Chapter 4: “The Old Rugged Cross,” he tries to save a condemned man named Michael Lindsey, but fails when the Alabama governor refuses his request for clemency. He also attends the execution of Vietnam war veteran Herbert Richardson. In Chapter 6: “Surely Doomed,” Stevenson helps 14-year-old Charlie, sentenced to death after killing his mother’s abusive boyfriend, and succeeds in moving the case to juvenile court and securing Charlie’s release.

Stevenson’s work with child offenders continues in Chapter 8: “All God’s Children,” where he examines injustices inflicted on children in the legal system. Children as young as 13 are often tried as adults, sentenced to life in prison without parole, and placed in solitary confinement. Stevenson shares the stories of Trina Garnett, Ian Manuel, and Antonio Nuñez. In addition to helping prisoners on death row and those sentenced to disproportionately cruel sentences, Stevenson also gives legal aid to women in prison, such as Marsha Colbey, convicted of murder following a stillbirth. In Chapter 12: “Mother, Mother,” Stevenson secures Marsha’s release while also challenging the conditions in the Tutwiler Women’s Prison, where incarcerated women are routinely abused, harassed, and raped by prison staff.

Meanwhile, Stevenson continues to work toward Walter’s freedom. He finds evidence of police corruption and convinces several witnesses to admit they lied during trial. The new county district attorney, Tom Chapman, tries to interfere, but Stevenson perseveres. He wins an appeal in the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to give Walter a new trial, at which point he motions to dismiss all charges. By this time, DA Chapman realizes the original trial was suspect and joins the motion. Walter is exonerated and released from prison in 1993.

Following his release, Walter returns to his home and business in Monroe County. He joins Stevenson for a series of talks and interviews about the court case until advancing dementia interferes. Walter dies in 2013.